'Monsters University' Goes to Head of the Class, Debuts as No. 1 Disc Seller

Walt Disney Studios’ highly praised prequel Monsters University easily topped the national home entertainment sales charts the week ended Nov. 3, outselling the only other high-profile new theatrical release, Universal Studios’ R.I.P.D., by almost a 6-to-1 margin.

Of course, that’s not really a fair comparison, given that the animated, family-friendly Monsters University grossed $268 million in theaters over the summer while the crime comedy about a team of “undead” police officers working for the Rest in Peace Department, starring Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Bacon, earned only $33.6 million.

Even so, the Monsters win is pronounced and decisive, with the film debuting at No. 1 on both the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart, which tracks overall DVD and Blu-ray Disc combined sales, and Nielsen’s dedicated Blu-ray Disc sales chart. Indeed, Monsters sold even better, proportionately, on Blu-ray Disc, with second-ranked R.I.P.D. selling just 15% as many high-definition discs in the first week both titles were in stores.

According to Nielsen research, Monsters University generated 49% of its total unit sales from Blu-ray Disc, compared to 44% for R.I.P.D.

Rounding out the top five on the First Alert sales chart were The Heat, from 20th Century Fox, at No. 3 (down from No. 2 the prior week) and DreamWorks Animation’s The Croods, distributed by Fox, holding steady at No. 5.

On the Blu-ray Disc sales chart, Monsters University and R.I.P.D. were followed by Disney’s The Little Mermaid at No. 3, up from No. 4 the prior week; The Heat at No. 4, down from No. 3 the previous week; and Warner’s Pacific Rim at No. 5, down from No. 2 the week before.

On Home Media Magazine’s rental chart for the week, The Croods rose to No. 1 now that its 28-day holdback from Redbox and Netflix is over. Monsters University bowed at No. 2.

After Earth and This Is the End, the two Sony Pictures titles that have held the No. 1 and No. 2 positions on the rental charts for three weeks, finally slipped to No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.